CAFAmerica to Name New CEO With the Departure of Susan Saxon-Harrold

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Charities Aid Foundation America (CAFAmerica) announced today that after nine successful years as CEO of CAFAmerica and five years as a director and trustee of the Southampton Row Trust, Susan Saxon-Harold has decided to leave CAFA at the end of August. She will become an advisor to a new family foundation focusing on charitable giving in China and Haiti.  

The search for the new CEO of CAFAmerica is underway. In the interim, David Venne, director of finance for CAFAmerica, will serve as acting CEO.

CAFAmerica provides charitable financial services to individuals, global corporations, charities, and foundations and is a member organization of the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation international network.  During 2010/11, CAFAmerica and the CAF American Donor Fund facilitated 1,770 grants to charities in 80 nations around the world, including $40 million in donor advised gifts.

During Saxon-Harrold's tenure at CAFAmerica, net assets of the organization grew from $2 million to $54 million.  Contributions in the same period rose from $9.7 million to $47.1 million.  Among her major accomplishments, Saxon-Harrold designed and delivered a global charity and grants assessment service for a major U.S. financial institution that has resulted in CAFAmerica advising on over 1,400 grants totaling $61.6 million since 2008.

Commenting on the announcement, Susan Saxon-Harold said: "The nine years I have spent at CAFAmerica have been the most challenging and rewarding of my career to date. To be given the opportunity to grow a charity like this one has been a privilege. I have worked with donors in the U.S. and abroad to develop giving solutions that fit their philanthropic vision.  I have had the opportunity to make a lasting difference in a wide range of areas from facilitating grants to help alleviate suffering, protect an endangered species, offering access to education to those who need it, or supporting research for a new medical treatment breakthrough. Both CAFAmerica and the CAF American Donor Fund have proved their relevance in the field of global giving, and are poised to achieve greater success in the years ahead."     

CAFAmerica President Janet C. Boyd, Esq., said:  "The CAFAmerica Board recognizes the creative energy that Susan has provided our organization during her tenure as CEO.  Without her guidance, CAFAmerica would not have developed the wide range of opportunities it currently has for donors, including the expansion of donor services in areas such as the 'Friends of' Charity Fund, which enables non-U.S. charities to fundraise in the U.S. effectively.  CAFAmerica provides a number of valuable services that enable donors to give cross-border in a safe and timely manner."

Chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation John Low said:  "I would like to thank Susan for her significant contribution to the CAF International Network and the sector over all these years. She has helped to establish and grow CAFAmerica from early stages to become an important facilitator in international philanthropy, laying the basis on which our ambitious plans for the future can be built. I wish her every success in the future."

ABOUT SUSAN SAXON-HARROLD

Susan Saxon-Harrold was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce in the UK on 15th October 2008 for her work and research in global philanthropy and voluntarism and has been a Director of Southampton Row Trust Ltd. in the UK since 2007.  

ABOUT CAFAMERICA

Founded in 1992, Charities Aid Foundation America is a member organization of the United Kingdom based Charities Aid Foundation international network of offices. The network provides charitable financial services to individuals, global corporations, charities, and foundations.  CAFAmerica is dedicated to expanding North American borderless charitable giving by providing guidance and international grant making solutions for donors and charities. CAFAmerica makes over $40 million in grants to charities in 80 countries around the world.  CAFAmerica's range of charitable solutions include: Donor Advised Gifts, Donor Advised Funds, Matching Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds, bequest planning and 'Friends of' Charity Funds.

ABOUT CAF

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is an international charity that aims to motivate society to give more effectively.  CAF works through its international network with offices in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the UK and the USA to create and stimulate effective giving environments.   As well as connecting donors with charities across borders, it campaigns for tax-efficient giving around the world and has distributed money in over 140 countries. 

SOURCE CAFAmerica, Alexandria, VA